The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” hit the charts

Won’t Get Fooled Again The Who

Writer(s): Pete Townshend (see lyrics here) First Charted: June 25, 1971 Peak: 15 US, 9 CB, 15 GR, 8 HR, 1 CL, 9 UK, 9 CN, 14 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 86.58 video, 175.90 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: One of the most “stirring, cataclysmic rock & roll anthems” SS kicks off with singer Roger Daltrey’s iconic blood-curdling wail, “considered one of the best on any rock song.” SF There is an uprising in the first verse, those in power are overthrown in the second verse, and then, in the end, the new regime is just like the old one (signified by the classic lyric “meet the new boss, same as the old boss”). SF Interestingly, the title never appears in the lyrics, although there is the line “we don’t get fooled again.” Pete Townshend, the band’s chief songwriter and guitarist, originally wrote the song for the intended Lifehouse project, which centered on a futuristic world in which an enslaved people are freed by rock ‘n’ roll. The project became so confusing to everyone else that it was aborted in favor of a more direct album. The resulting Who’s Next became one of the top 100 albums of all-time. In the context of Lifehouse, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” was about rebels who receive amnesty in return for accepting the status quo. SS Despite many believing that “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a revolutionary song, Townshend explained it is actually “a song against the revolution.” TB It’s a cautionary tale that “when authority figures tell you something, don’t accept it at face value.” SS Townshend “felt revolution was pointless because whoever takes over is destined to become corrupt.” SF Bassist John Entwistle said of all the songs Townshend wrote in that era, this one “really stands out, because he was saying things that really mattered to him.” DT When the song was released as a single, it was edited down from its album running time of 8:30 to 3:35. Daltrey told Uncut magazine, “I hated it when they chopped it down…After that we started to lose interest in singles because they’d cut them to bits. We thought, ‘What’s the point? Our music’s evolved past the three-minute barrier and if they can’t accommodate that we’re just gonna have to live on albums.’” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Who TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Page 671. RS500 Rolling Stone (12/04). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” SF Songfacts SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 128-30. DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 22. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 5/1/2024.